1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data reader designed to read automatically information concerning, for example, the kind, price or other items of commodities, which is recorded on the surfaces of cards or articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have heretofore been various kinds of data reader of the type described above. Examples of the prior art include bar code readers which optically read information recorded in the form of a pattern of parallel bars distinguished from each other by width, magnetic card readers for reading information contained in magnetic stripes formed on magnetic cards, punched card readers for reading information on the basis of a combination of the position and number of punched holes, and IC card readers for reading information recorded in integrated circuits incorporated in IC cards.
This prior art suffers, however, from the following problems.
The prior art that utilizes optical means to read information, such as bar code readers, has the problem that mere dust or dirt attached to either a data recording medium or a data reader leads to a read error.
In the prior art that utilizes magnetic means such as a magnetic card, recorded data itself may be damaged by the influence of an ambient magnetic field.
Punched cards suffer from the problem that the amount of recordable information is disadvantageously limited.
The prior art that utilizes integrated circuits has the disadvantage that the production cost of the data recording medium is higher than in the case of other storage media.